Atlantic Technology Announces First Smart Speaker

Atlantic Technology today announced its entry into the ever expanding world of smart speakers with a Wi-Fi-based tabletop system featuring integrated streaming and internet radio options.

Hailed as the first in a series of “smart multiroom wireless speakers,” the conspicuously named Gatecrasher 1 will sell for $499 when it becomes available in mid-July. Amazon Alexa voice control will be incorporated into the system via an automatic firmware update slated for release sometime this summer, the company said.

Featuring a wrap-around metal grille, the system is a 2.1 design featuring a stereo pair of 0.75-inch aluminum dome tweeters mated with a pair of 2-inch midbass drivers plus a 4-inch woofer coupled to a down-firing 5-inch passive radiator, all powered by a 60-watt Class D digital amplifier and housed in a cabinet made of high-density MDF with a Makassar ebony or a piano black lacquer finish over real-wood veneer.

Even though the speaker is only a foot wide, Atlantic says it produces “excellent stereo in most rooms” and has a Wide mode that simulates the spatial imaging of speakers placed farther apart. In large rooms, the system can be configured to produce stereo from two Gatecrasher 1 speakers.

Onboard music options include Bluetooth/aptX streaming, vTuner internet radio, and streaming services Spotify, Tidal, Deezer, and Qobuz. The system also supports several file formats, including AAC, AAC+, MP3, WAV, WMA, and FLAC.

The Gatecrasher 1 has a 3.5mm stereo minijack input with priority auto-sensing and is compatible with an array of audio sources and operating systems, including Windows PC and Mac computers, Android and iOS tablets and smartphones, and game consoles such as Xbox One and PS4.

System set-up and control are described as simple using the free Atlantic Technology Gatecrasher app, available for Android and iOS devices. The system is DLNA-compliant for synchronized streaming throughout the home or sending audio to selected zones, and it can stream from a Bluetooth or aux-in source to one or more Gatecrasher 1 speakers.

While the system can be controlled by the app, it also has a top-mounted back-lit control pad with membrane buttons for volume, track selection, audio presets, and more. The control panel changes color so listeners can easily identify which source is playing.